Offerings on the Vine
by KLMeri
Summary: Spock's and McCoy's suspicious behavior catches the attention of the Enterprise crew. What could they be up to?  - COMPLETE
1. Part One

**Title**: Offerings on the Vine

**Author**: klmeri

**Fandom**: Star Trek TOS

**Characters**: Kirk, Spock, McCoy

**Disclaimer**: I own the plot bunnies but not the cast.

**Summary**: Spock's and McCoy's suspicious behavior catches the attention of the Enterprise crew. What could they be up to?

* * *

**Part One**

McCoy walks into the one of the main science laboratories on the Enterprise, the second most frequented place by a certain Vulcan. The first man he encounters is hunched over a PADD transcribing a series of notes.

"Excuse me, son." McCoy taps him on the back.

With obvious reluctance, the scientist barely cranes his head around to glance at the source of such an ill-mannered disturbance. "Can't you see I'm—" His eyes go wide with recognition of the CMO, and McCoy is clearly amused as the fellow immediately backpedals from his intended (rude) reproach.

"Oh, Doctor McCoy! C-can I help you, Sir?"

"Looking for a Vulcan. You know, the Head of your—" McCoy glances around at the sterile, neatly organized lab, "—department, Lieutenant. Seen him about?"

Leonard thinks that if the man widens his eyes even a fraction of a millimeter more, they'll fall straight out of their sockets. (And he's not currently equipped to pop 'em back in.)

"N-no, Sir. Not here, Sir! I mean, Mr. Spock—that is who you mean, right?—"

Doctor McCoy raises a hand to stop the onslaught of nervous stuttering. "Will he be in later today?"

"I could, uh, check the schedule, Doctor."

"You do that."

"Yes, Sir." The Lieutenant scrambles off his stool, hastily gestures at the doctor to take his vacated seat, and shuffle-runs into an adjacent room. McCoy pretends not to hear the fairly loud "Doctor McCoy's looking for _Mr. Spock!_" and the muted excited chatter that follows.

He sighs and shifts on his stool. By the time the scientist returns—some (several) minutes later—McCoy is halfway through the recorded Log entry left on the tabletop. He is squinting one eye and rubbing his bottom lip with an index finger when his thoughts are summarily interrupted.

"Doctor McCoy! Mr. Spock…" The man trails off when he notices what McCoy is reading. He fairly leaps at the table to slide the PADD out from under Leonard's nose. "Don't read that!"

When McCoy turns around to fully confront this (already flustered) person, he gives the officer the patented _better_-_check-your-tone-you-fool-boy_ look, complete with his raised eyebrow of Incredulity. "Now, what's all the to-do for, son? I was enjoying a good read."

The Lieutenant, who probably wishes by now that he hadn't had the unfortunate luck to be on duty when McCoy decided to come visiting the Science Department, goes somewhat red in the face. "Forgive me, Sir, but you don't have the security cl…" He can't finish that statement with Doctor McCoy giving him such an intense look.

Leonard feels that he's been in this lab a little too long, so he opts to cut the other so slack. "Is Mr. Spock scheduled to make an appearance down here or not?"

"Yes, Doctor McCoy. He should arrive in a matter of—"

"Won't be hanging around to greet him, no worries. Just see to it that he gets this, alright?" Doctor McCoy pulls out a small package and puts into the startled officer's hands. He pauses at the lab door, looks over his shoulder. "Only to Mr. Spock."

The package is placed carefully on the nearest counter. "Only to Mr. Spock."

McCoy's parting statement drifts back to a particular pair of ears. "And if, by chance, curiosity should take ahold of you, Lieutenant, I'll be _very _glad to give you a special examination come time for your physical."

So it is that Mr. Spock, upon entrance to his department, is promptly bombarded by an unsettled member of his team with an un-opened package and several intrigued (but slightly apprehensive) assistants loitering in the background.

Gossip, originating between one lab scientist to the next (and then to_ his_ friends), starts with the hushed tidbit "Mr. Spock got a gift from Doctor McCoy!"

* * *

Approximately three shifts later, Christine Chapel is minding her own business when Mr. Spock comes through the Sickbay door. She immediately straightens her skirt, takes a quick peek at her face in the reflective steel surface of the medical instrument in her hands, and approaches the Vulcan with a demure smile.

"Are you in need of assistance, Mr. Spock?"

"Nurse Chapel," he greets her in his usual stoic manner. "I seek Doctor McCoy. Is his office occupied?"

Christine tries to not to actively deflate at this news, so she rears back her shoulders and addresses the (sweetly oblivious) First Officer with that cool tone she learned from her training days at the Academy. "Doctor McCoy is unavailable at this time." When Spock's eyebrow goes up, she tacks on, "Shall I contact him, Sir, and arrange an appointment for you?"

"That won't be necessary, Nurse. I do not require medical attention at this time." Christine swears that Mr. Spock pauses before he continues. "However, if you have no object, I would request that you give Doctor McCoy this—" He presents her with a roundly wrapped container previously hidden behind his back. "—parcel."

She takes the object tentatively and with no small amount of curiosity (and perhaps a stab of jealous). "Yes, Sir. I will hand this to Leonard personally."

"Thank you, Christine."

The use of her first name warms a little piece of her heart, and she answers with a smile. Mr. Spock exits Sickbay, and Christine is the designated bearer of a mysterious gift from the First Officer to the CMO. While she does not stoop so low as to pry, she certainly mentions the odd incident to Uhura on her lunch break in the mess hall.

By the end of Beta shift, the small (originally harmless) buzz of gossip grows into full-blown speculation. The CMO and the First Officer, known adversaries, are trading personal gifts. And oh, how the crew of the Enterprise wonders _why_.

* * *

The sightings and encounters of the _Present-Affair _become more frequent—and varied—in occurrence. Ensign Yeeves claims that he saw Doctor McCoy slipping a note into Mr. Spock's pocket. Yeoman Rand swears that they trade secret winks at one another on the Bridge at least twice daily—never mind that Vulcans don't deign to wink. A geologist of the Science Department tells her friends—and long-distance fiancé—that she overheard Spock and McCoy arranging a secret meeting (though she couldn't quite hear the time or place) over the comm unit in the Science Officer's personal lab. Scotty and Chekov (because they can) form a betting pool on the nature of the exchanged gifts. Another crewman suggests a bet on whether or not the two officers are lovers, but he's quickly smacked upside the head by his girlfriend, and no one mentions that notion out loud again. (In the privacy of their own thoughts, however, is another matter entirely.)

It takes almost two weeks before Captain Kirk overhears a piece of this gossip. He is idly pacing towards the gymnasium, with a towel over his shoulder, when the words "...seen 'em together recently… didn't they look chummy?" gives him pause at the turn of a corridor. Kirk is about to step into sight and address the issue of gossip-mongering on his ship when the next phrase throws that thought completely out of his head.

"Do you think the Captain knows what's going on?"

Jim leans against the wall and listens intently for the answer. (He decides, quite suddenly, that it's better that he goes into the situation fully knowledgable of the subject at hand.)

"Naw, Joe, Captain Kirk can't know a thing about it! Mr. Spock and Doctor McCoy aren't making their business public, now are they?"

"But they don't seem to be hiding their exchanges, either. I mean, what number are we up to?"

"I heard that it's McCoy's turn. Four so far."

"Huh. I heard it was six and a half—'cause one of 'em was a letter that that little Nurse from Sickbay happened to accidentally read."

The other snorts. "What'd it say?"

"T'was ship business; some disease research or other."

"Well, that don't count, Harvey!"

"Fine, six, it is."

"No, four!"

Jim is confused by this point, and it's obvious that the two officers are about to start a long-winded (simpleton) argument. So he steps around the corner with a wolfish grin plastered on his face.

"Evening, gentlemen." They immediately snap to attention. "At easy." He is granted a large space in which to pass by when they practically plaster themselves against the wall. As the Captain swaggers along down the corridor, Jim adds over his shoulder, "I heard it was five."

When he is in the locker room, Kirk decides an immediate impromptu chat with Bones and Spock is in order. After all, it's not fair for them to leave a good friend in the dark—and Jim certainly doesn't appreciate being the ignorant one. So he keeps his eyes open as he goes through his workout, catches whispers and the names of the First Officer and CMO, even as he throws some poor ensign over his shoulder onto the mat with a _whap_.

Yes, there is definitely something afoot; at least, the crew thinks so and that's good enough for Kirk.


	2. Part Two

**Okay, this is partially written because of my determination to reach 100,000 words before I go on vacation in two days (it's a two-week vacation, ya'll!); on the other hand, I can totally see McCoy and Spock in this situation… Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Part Two**

Rather than the immediate round-up of his two officers for personal interrogation, Jim actually catches Spock in the act. Kirk is not-quite stomping into Sickbay when he runs into his First Officer also in pursuit of the habitat of the elusive McCoy. Spock greets the Captain with calm.

Jim eyes the Vulcan suspiciously and asks about his intended visit to Sickbay. "Not feeling so well, Mr. Spock?"

"On the contrary, Captain, I am well."

"Oh." Kirk elongates his spine just a little (though it doesn't nearly bring him to Spock's height). "I'm on my way to talk to Bones…if you'll excuse me."

He enters Sickbay, acutely aware of the Vulcan on his heels.

Nurse Chapel looks surprised to see them both. She says, "Hello, Mr. Spock. Do you have another delivery for the CMO?"

"Indeed." A parcel—twice the size of the usual one Christine gets—appears as if out of thin air. "You are most gracious, Nurse, to assist me in this manner."

Kirk watches Christine preen a little and his suspicion grows. She turns to the Captain, then. "Captain?"

"Just here to see Bones."

"Oh but he's just stepped out, Sir."

"A medical emergency?"

Christine hesitates and Jim has his answer. He puts on a charming smile and does a little appreciative turn around the wide-eyed nurse. Spock must be observing his behavior with interest because both of his eyebrows climb high. "You'll tell Bones I stopped by, won't you, Chris?"

"O-of course, Captain!"

"Good."

Kirk does a precise pivot on the ball of his foot in preparation for his exit. However, before he leaves, he orders the First Officer, "My quarters after Alpha shift, Mr. Spock."

Spock merely tilts his head in acknowledgement. Once Jim goes back to the Bridge, he has Uhura send out an official summons to the Chief Medical Officer. Kirk may currently be none-the-wiser but he knows when he is onto the scent of mischief. The hours on the Bridge wile away much too slowly.

* * *

Spock is standing as he always does on duty (or off-duty), with his hands out of sight and his face very expressionless. McCoy, on the other hand, sits in one of Kirk's desk chairs with a leg thrown over the side and sharp amused look in his blue eyes. If Jim didn't know better, he'd think Bones was the cat that just caught the canary.

"I'd appreciate an explanation, gentlemen."

"Captain, I cannot offer an explanation without reference to the inquiry."

Jim has a PADD pen in his hand as he leans forward in his chair; it goes monotonously _tap-tap-tap_ on the surface top of the desk.

"Spock's got a point there, Jim. Wanna tell us what's on your mind?"

Now McCoy, perhaps, he can rile into an argument—and hopefully subsequent admission. So he adds, directly to the doctor, "You're aggravating my crew, McCoy."

Bones grins, then, broadly and without restraint. "Are we?" he answers in a deceptively docile tone.

Kirk drops the pen in lieu of slamming his palm against the desk with a resounding _bang_. "Don't play with me, Bones!" He turns to address his First Officer. "What, exactly, are the two of you up to, Mr. Spock?"

To Kirk's surprise, McCoy also addresses Spock—except that his words are much different. "How long?"

"Fifteen days, ten hours, and six point thirty three minutes, Doctor."

"You'll have to remember to record that, Spock."

"I shall. The data will provide a fascinating highlight on the Captain's… belated surveillance of the events upon this vessel."

Bones snorts and chuckles. "You mean his _lack _of observational skills."

Jim's brows knit together as he looks unhappily between his two friends. "What do I have to do with this affair? You'd better explain yourselves _right now _or—"

"Or what, Jim-boy? Have we perpetrated an infraction of any regulation?"

"Well… disturbing the peace on my ship, for one!"

"Illogical, Captain. Doctor McCoy and I have participated in no overt or prohibited activity."

"Stop trying to distract me," Jim says fiercely.

McCoy is laughing at him again. "Jim, you're so easy to distract. Alright, alright—" McCoy raises his hands in surrender as Jim starts to stand up. "We'll confess all our sins, won't we, Mr. Spock?"

Spock makes no comment on the fallacy of McCoy's statement. Instead, he begins an explanation for their recent behavior. "We are executing a social experiment on the conduct of the Enterprise crew. Our hypothesis states the following—"

"Wait, Spock. You're telling me that you two are_ experimenting_ on my crewmen?"

"Not physically, Jim," McCoy adds. "Spock and I got into this debate, you see, about the gossip mills onboard the ship… Uh uh, don't shake your head at me, Captain! I know you know what I'm talking about." McCoy crosses his arms and gives Jim a glare. "Anyway, we thought that we would stir things up a bit, for the purpose of science, of course. I'd say we've been pretty successful. Don't you agree, Spock?"

"Indeed. It is fact that the general crew mentality concerning the relationship between the Doctor and myself is somewhat… negative. Therefore, we proposed to introduce a new aspect to our collective behavior, one which would—"

"—get everyone all riled up! We've got an outlined schedule too..." The doctor motions for Spock, who pulls out a PADD from behind his back. (_Damn, why didn't Kirk notice that before!_) The Vulcan gives the device to the Captain, who warily accepts the PADD as if it might bite his fingers.

"You will note that the time interval between our…" Spock looks to McCoy who prompts "gift givin'." "…exchange of select materials decreases by 12.235% with each progressive occurrence. We theorize that the increase in frequency is an attributing factor in our study."

Jim does not peruse the data on the PADD; rather, he stares at it without seeing the details. His thoughts are a jumbled mess. One thought in particular pops to the forefront of his mind. He voices it immediately. "You're both insane."

Bones and Spock look at Kirk like he's just mentioned his recurring (ludicrous) dream about frolicking Klingons in a field of posies. (Jim hopes that he retains enough intelligence to NEVER speak of it aloud.) Of course, Bones is the first one to deny Jim's accusation.

"We're scientists—by profession and by nature, Jim. Ya can't blame a man for his scientific curiosity."

_You mean his inclination for making trouble_. Jim only mumbles that—and Spock gives no indication of hearing it.

"Fine. How long is this _study_ going to be underway?"

The deepening look of satisfaction on Bones' face scares Jim just a tiny bit. Leonard McCoy may be a man of acerbic wit and (often) sharp barbs, but he also has a streak of mischief the width of a man's arm. "Here's the thing, Captain." McCoy pauses, glances at Spock who nods. "We've reached the next stage." The doctor leans forward with intent—which causes Jim to subtly lean back (out of range). "It's time to up our game. You want in, Jim?"

Now, as a Captain and an honorable man, Jim knows that he should, at the very least, consider the repercussions of participation. However, that boyish devil on his shoulder whispers _do it!_ with glee (and the Captain's days are unsatisfactorily filled with asteroid mapping—the epitome of boring space detail) so Jim barely pauses for his next breath before agreeing, "I'm in." He tries to salvage some dignity. "But next time, Bones, Spock… ask me first before you start using my crew as guinea pigs."

Neither of the two officers seems to acknowledge his reprimand. Suddenly, Kirk has to wonder: How many _previous_ experiments have these two have engaged in together? (How many of those times has Jim been the prime test subject?) Eyeing the First Officer and CMO—and knowing them both much too well—he decides that he won't ask. Ever.

* * *

**Oh, story's not done yet...**


	3. Part Three

**Part Three**

"Oh, whatever could this _be_…"

McCoy has to refrain from smacking his (or Jim's) forehead in frustration. "You're NOT convincing me, Jim. Practice that line again and, for Christ's sake, try to sound a little more _surprised!_"

Jim presses his lips together, probably to keep some ugly words from spilling out. (McCoy could also swear that he just saw a lick of fire and smoke come out of the Captain's nostrils.)

Spock interrupts their tete-a-tete. "Perhaps the Captain can execute a look of surprise without the necessity of speech."

McCoy sniggers as Jim transfers his baleful glare from the CMO to the First Officer. "Remind me why I agreed to help you two—because my memory is growing_ very_ short, _very _quickly."

"Ah, Jimmy, surely you can take a little constructive criticism. We both know—" the doctor gestures between Spock and himself, "—that you can put on a show when you need to. Remember that time you had me going with your Insane Captain bit, just to steal a piece of machinery?" McCoy wants to say _God-damned_ _warfare that Starfleet won't even approve for use_ instead, but now's not the time to bring up the short-comings and audacity of their superiors.

Kirk relaxes as he recalls his acting feats of the past. When he begins to smile, McCoy has to say something just to get the Captain back on track. "Shall we start from the beginning?"

Jim does a quick body-shake (to rid himself of what McCoy has no idea) and agrees.

"Now, y'all be on the Bridge when Spock has to suddenly leave—"

"You will call me down to Sickbay, correct, Doctor?"

"Yeah, yeah, 'course I will. That'll send everyone into a tizzy! So Spock accidentally forgets his 'gift' at his station—"

"I'm not sure that is even plausible in Spock's case, Bones."

"Sure it is! He's half-human, ain't he? Holy Hell, Jim, don't tell me you really think Spock is incapable of making a simple mistake—no offense, Spock."

Spock says nothing. The Vulcan is so stoic-faced that McCoy cannot guess at what he might be thinking. Leonard decides to forge onward anyway.

"As I was saying—before you so rudely interrupted me, Jim, seriously where'd you learn your manners, a petting zoo?—the package is there, Spock is gone, and you—Jim-boy—will pull a Captain act and inspect it."

Okay, now Jim does seem officially offended. The Captain crosses his arms and says with a little too much bite in his voice, "You're a rare genius, Bones. _Whatever would we do without you?_" Jim then says to Spock, "How was that for acting, Mr. Spock?"

Spock answers, "Quite well, Captain."

"Hey! I'm just an old country doctor, not a film director! Cut me some slack here." McCoy stalks over to his forgotten drink_. Always working with amateurs_, he thinks. The bourbon burns pleasantly going down. He can address the others again. "Now that my senses are revitalized," _from your rubbish and mis-accusations_, " can we get on with it?"

Despite Jim's "You won't even be there, Bones!" Leonard insists on getting their roles _just right_. So Kirk and McCoy (but not really Spock) start over and hash out the details of their plan—to McCoy's satisfaction.

* * *

Words are flying. "Did you see what it was?"

"—the way the Captain clutched at his heart in shock—"

"—heard it was a petrified finger. Don't you know that they're trading in Orion body parts?"

"Oh my God, I think Kirk is in Sickbay right now with palpitations."

"Ugh, how _creepy_…"

"Danvers is full of shit. Don't listen to him!"

"—surely not Mr. Spock, he's a decent guy—"

"I placed a bet on alcohol. Couldn't it have been alcohol?"

"Shame on you all, for gossiping about your superiors!"

The group turns as one to look at the loud-mouthed ensign, who very quickly takes two steps back, eyes wide. Scotty says, "Lass, this is the Enterprise. She was born for bearing news!"

Sulu looks to Lieutenant D'Ange on his right and swaps a few credit chips. "Chekov and I can hack into the Security feeds," he offers.

There's a general chorus of _yeah_'s and _how-soon_'s. The helmsman grins at his (gossip) buddies and makes a quick comm to Chekov. "It's on, Pavel."

* * *

"God, but I wish I coulda been there, Jim! And how were their faces again?"

"I'd say half-horror, half-anticipation, Bones. I don't think the Bridge crew's been that up-in-arms since our last battle with a Klingon cruiser."

"Did they—"

"No, no. I made sure to fall on top of it before anyone could get a peek."

"Well, Uhura sure sounded convinced of your death, Jim, when she comm-ed Sickbay." McCoy recalls the urgent _Sickbay! Come in, Sickbay! The Captain's down!_ He almost feels bad about their little trickery, but Spock assures McCoy that the data the Vulcan has collected as a consequence of the mysterious (_horrifying)_ package that felled James T. Kirk is invaluable to their study.

His attention circles back to the ongoing conversation between Jim and Spock. "—determined that the rate at which the intelligence travels is a factor of—"

Jim is rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Leonard has to ask, "What're you thinking?"

"Oh, about how useful this method of communication could be during battle…"

"When the comm system is down, right?"

Jim has that glint in his eye that makes McCoy's stomach clench. While Leonard does enjoy a good publication on the psycho-schematics of group behavior, he's really just trying to win his debate with Spock—that the gossip mill on this ship does affect the crew's mindset as a whole. (Supposedly Vulcans do not engage in the act of gossiping.) Spock, Leonard knows, has become highly fascinated by the hive-like bustle of the Enterprise crew. Leave it to a Vulcan to find worthwhile information in a bunch of crazy, bored Starfleet officers. And leave it to Jim to know just what to do with that information.

He proposes a toast to their endeavors. As McCoy sips his Saurian brandy, Jim slaps a hand on his back that makes the glass tilt down the front of his uniform.

"Oops." Jim doesn't look sorry at all.

McCoy is debating on whether or not to throw the rest of his drink at the Captain when Spock announces from behind the Captain's computer console, "I believe that we are being monitored."

That shocks some vivid cursing right out of McCoy's mouth. Jim is leaning over Spock's shoulder so quickly that Leonard almost doesn't seem him move. "What's going on?" Leonard wants to know, coming around the front of the console.

Jim has narrowed eyes focused on the screen as Spock punches away. "Mr. Spock, trace that link."

"Yes, Captain."

As it so happens, the Captain's quarters are being hacked from the Security deck. The little miscreants have just instigated a live voice-feed from these quarters—and of the entire incriminating conversation. Jim and Spock prepare to search out the perpetrators and recover all evidence. Fortunately for the soon-to-be-hunted, Doctor McCoy convinces the Captain to unstrap his phaser as he exits the room.

* * *

Sulu looks calm in the face of their dilemma; Chekov is anxiously bouncing his leg. "Do you think the Keptin will let us out of here soon, Hikaru?"

"Don't know. But he_ is_ our Captain. If he wants to keep us in here—" Sulu does a quick survey on the inside of their cell, "—then we've got no choice but to sit tight."

There is some lowly muttered cursing. "Well, why didn't you tell him that we didn't listen to the feed?"

Sulu turns his head and stares at the Russian. "But we did."

Chekov's mouth spreads into a sharp little grin. "So we did." He and Sulu contemplate for the moment how to convince Kirk to let them go without setting off his temper again.

Then a very chilling thought occurs to the helmsman. "Chekov, you don't think that he'll have Mr. Spock—you know—"

Chekov looks uncertain. His leg starts to bounce at a more rapid pace. "I don't care what anyone says… Vulcans are very unpredictable."

Sulu rubs sweaty palms on the pants of his uniform. "And Mr. Spock does follow orders well…"

Their fate looks sad indeed from the vantage point inside the brig.

* * *

"You can't keep 'em in there, Jim. That's ridiculous, not to mention mean as Hell."

"Whose side are you on, McCoy?"

"I'm on mine, always, Jimmy. Make no mistake about _that_. But Spock here agrees with me, don't you, Spock?"

"Captain, Doctor McCoy has a valid point. Lieutenants Sulu and Chekov, while in violation of unauthorized hacking, do not merit the punishment of—"

"Okay! Seriously, do you two think that I'm _that _cold-hearted? Sulu and Chekov have Beta shift duty. They'll be out before then."

"Really, in thirty more minutes? How generous of you, Jim." McCoy points his finger directly at Kirk's nose (who refuses to cross his eyes, much to McCoy's disappointment). "Free those boys, but make sure they don't talk. Understand?"

Jim gets that half-smirk. "What are you afraid of, Bones? A little slander? A little _gossip?_"

"I ain't afraid of nothing, Captain. And might I remind you that I have a large hypospray hidden away just for this kinda back-talk." Leonard leans in, says menacingly as he can, "I know just which allergies will kill you and which won't. And don't you forget it!"

Jim laughs, then, at McCoy's (heart-felt) threat. The Captain says to his other officer, the silent but probably amused Vulcan, "For the record, Mr. Spock, you should note McCoy's hostile behavior. If I end up out of commission from a strange episode of Andorian shingles, he should be the first suspect."

"Duly noted, Captain. Doctor, do you wish to remark on your behalf—for the record?"

Leonard sniffs and then bounces on the balls of his feet. "Sure do. I just wanna say that the Captain _and_ the First Officer won't know what hit 'em."

Spock's eyebrow makes a slow ascension. Leonard adds, "And you can_ bet_ on that, Spock!"

* * *

If, three minutes past the start of Beta shift, the helmsman and navigator show up on the Bridge slightly wild-eyed and quiet, no one will connect their unusual attitudes to the smug Captain—or the business-like Vulcan whom Chekov keeps nervously glancing at out of the corner of his eye. Instead, a new speculation will begin…

Why did the two men suddenly pull out of the betting pool? Does this mean that the CMO and the First Officer are done with their mutual exchanges? (Later, a yeoman reports the doctor and Vulcan arguing—well, Doctor McCoy shouting—in the corridor.) Is there to be a return to normal?

Should the others try to get their stakes back too? (Scotty's invested three good bottles of scotch.)

_What, why, how, and who._

The wheel churns on.

_-Fini_


End file.
